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Benton man, former firefighter arrested for child pornography

A Benton man — a former firefighter for the Benton Fire Department — was arrested on Friday for allegedly having child pornography on his home computer, according to the Saline County Sheriff's Office.
Timothy Ryan Bodkin, 38, faces 1,000 counts of felony possession of child pornography and is being held without bond pending an appearance via satellite in Benton District Court later today.
According to Lt. Mike Frost, the sheriff's office received information from the Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force on Tuesday, June 19, that a person in Benton was downloading child pornography. He said that during the investigation, search warrants were obtained for the seizure of a computer that allegedly was owned by Bodkin.
Frost said the search warrant was served by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is comprised of investigators with the Saline County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas State Police, Pine Bluff Police and Homeland Security. He said the computer was discovered to have numerous images of child pornography, and that Bodkin was not home at the time. However, members of the ICAC Task Force in Northwest Arkansas made contact with Bodkin in Eureka Springs and he was taken into custody at 7 p.m. on Friday upon his arrival at a bus station in North Little Rock.
Frost told The Saline Courier today that the investigation is continuing, but there is no indication at this point that any of the images involve local children.
The Benton Fire Department also released a statement this morning noting that Bodkin officially resigned from the department shortly after his arrest.
Fire Marshal Bruce Armstrong also said Bodkin's activities are not associated with the Benton Fire Department.
"We are deeply saddened by these events and ask for your prayers and support," the press release stated.
To report information about Bodkin and these crimes, call the Saline County Sheriff's Office at 501-303-5608.